Cuff button



c. A.. GODDARD CUFF BUTTON Filed Dec. 5, 1

l/lll/E/VTOR Char-Les fluen Goddard;

@ mwm A TTORNEVS Patented duly 10, T1923.

Saree scare TION on oommcrrcur.

retreat til as ALLEN eoDDeaD, or cnnsnrnn, connncrrcnr, assrenoa no me a arm sooxnr manuraoruame cor/many, or wear onnsman, co

: career, a

CUFF BUTTON.

Application filed December a, 1922. serial no. eoaees.

ToaZZ whomitmayc'oncecm." J f Be itknownthat I, CHARLES ALLEN GonnAnD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cheshire, in the county of New 5 Haven and State of Connecticut, have made andinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cufi Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cuff buttons, and '10 more particularly to that type or style wherein the buttons are joined together by a flexible elastic or extensible member.

This style of button as heretofore made has the ends of the elastic member pinched within a projecting sleeve or socket extending from the rear of each button, or fastened within the body of each button by the forc-.

ing together of the ,front and back members of each button and frictionally engaging the extremity of the elastic member therebetween. While both of these methods of securing the elastic Within the button appear to permanently anchor the elastic in place, I have found that in time the elastic tends to work loose, and, furthermore, the actual securement of the elastic in place is a dificult and costly operation. Further, the rearwardly projecting metal sleeve mars the appearance of the button, while in those instances where the elastic has been anchored within the body of the button it has been found practically impossible to properly hold the elastic member in place while the front and back portions of the button 5 are being crimped or secured together.

It is accordingly the object of m invention to provide a button of this 0 aracter wherein the elastic member will be more secu'rel and more positively anchored with- 40 in the body of the button and in such manner as to prevent the elastic from becoming cut or torn during the fastening operation.

A further object is to provide a button wherein no difficulty whatever will be had in the assembling of the front and back portions of the button so that the assembling operation may .be entirely done by machinery and thus the button manufactured 0 at an extremely low cost.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the improved button illustrated in the accompanyin drawing and hereinafter described an tion is claimed, and in such variation and modifications thereof as will be obvious to those skilled in the art towhich my invention free,

without departing from the spirit thereof The preferred embodiment of my invening wherein: Y

isclosed in the accompanying draw- 1 gure 1 is a view in perspective of a cufi button in the process of manufacture and embodying the characteristic features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a view in section of a further step in the process of manufacture of my improved cufi button;

the completed buttons having the elastic member securely anchored thereto;

Figure 4 is similar view in section of a somewhat modified form of button;

Figure 5 is a detail view in one form of body filler;

further modification of one of the buttons which go to make up the complete cufi button or and link;-and

Figu body filler for the button disclosed in Fig ure 6.

Referring specifically to the several views} wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout, my-

improved cuff buttons are each-made up of an elastic member 10 and the two identical buttons A, each button in turn being com-= posed of a back member 11 and a front member or cover 12. The back member 11 is composed of a plate or disc 13 having at its edge an outwardly extending and outwardly flared flange 14, while the front member or cover 12 is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 15 adapted to slip over and then engage the flared flange-14 of the back member. I

As illustrated in Figure 1, the back memspondingly shaped end 19, and the two. willcooperate to securely anchor the elastic 10 Figure 6 is a similar view in section of a re 7 is a view in perspective of the."

. Figure 3 1s a view in section of one of 7e perspective of to the button, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

After the back and front members 11 and 12 have been properly formed upon suitable stamping machines or die presses, the elastic member 10 is inserted through the openin as illustrated .in Figure 1 and the tongues 17 then bent downwardly to engage and cause a corresponding bending of t e protruding ends 20 of the elastic member and thus prevent its interfering with the assemblingof the cover 12 upon the back member 11. The manner in which, the inward bending of the tongue causesa corre- Spending bending of the protruding extremit of the elastic member is illustrated in Figure 2, and referring particularly to this figure it will be observed that as the tongue 17 is inwardly bent it bears against and then turns or bends the protruding extremity 20 of the elastic member, and this action takes place until the tongue has reached its final position as illustrated in Figure 3. The complete bending of the tongue 17, as illustrated in Figure 3, causes the tongue to extend substantially parallel to the back plate 13 but offset slightly thereinfront. As the tongue is thus slightly offset with, relation to the base, the extremity 19 of the tongue is drawn away from, so as to be slightly above, the wedge shaped bottom wall 18 of the opening, and thus the elastic compressed as at 21, this compression of the elastic member taking place without danger of the elastic member bein time the extreme point 19 will bury itself within the fabric which surrounds the elastic and thus permanently anchor the elastic member in place and positively prevent its withdrawal from the button.

At the same time as the tongue is being bent inwardly and the elastic anchored in place, the extremity 20 of the elastic is bent downwardly as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, and the cover or front member 12 may then be assembled upon the back memberwithout interference by the elastic member. The flange 15 is then inwardly bent or crimped so as to engage the outwardly flared flange 14 of the back and the two portions of the button thus permanently and securely anchored together.

With the button as thus constructed all operations may be carried out upon comparatively simple, automatic machinery and the button accordingly manufactured at an exceedingly low cost. The front 12 may be suitably engraved, ornamented or decorated,

so that the button will present a neat, pleasing and stylish appearance.

In some instances I may provide the front cover with a central opening asillustrated in Figures 4 and 6, wherein a transparent member is placed directly in back of the cover aperture 23 and an ornamental disc cut but at the same invention, I claim and desire to secure by menses 24 placed in back of the transparent disc, so that varied and pleasing appearances may thus be obtained. In some instances have found it desirable to. incorporate within the body of the button a filler 25 such as illustrated in Figure 4. The filler in this instance is preferably composed of paper, or other suitable material, may e of substantially circular outline as illustrated in Fi ure 5, and occupies approximately one-ha f of the interior of the button. The filler is compressed against the tongue 26 so as to more securely hold the same in place and also engages a limited portion of the protrudin extremity 27 of the elastic member. On t e other hand, I ma refer to incorporate within the body 0 t e button a filler .28 such as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 which will completely fill the interior of the button and not only lie against and compress the tongue 29 but will also engage the entire protruding extremity 30 of the elastic member and thus more securely hold the some in place, such changes and modifies tions coming clearly within the scope of my invention.

From the foregoing it will be observedthat I have provided a cufl button wherein the various parts may be economically man' extremity of the elastic member itself.

Having thus described and explained my Letters Patent:

1. The method of manufacturing cufi' buttons consisting in passing the free extremities of an elastic member through openings in the backs of the buttons, bending downwardly against the protruding extremities of the elastic member inwardly extending tongues to thereby cause the tongues to engage and anchor the elastic member to the button backs and in so doing tq cause the protruding extremities of the elastic members to bend and lie against the inner wall of the button backs and then assembling upon the said inner wall suitable cover mem-' bers.

2. An article of manufacture comprising an elastic member, buttons assembled upon the remote extremities thereof and each button comprising a back member having an opening therein receiving the extremity of the elastic member therethrough, a cover or front member secured to said back memher, a tongue formed by the metal displaced during the formation of said opening, said tongue lying between the front and, back member and. engaging the protruding ex- 100 of relatively less size than the protruding tremity of the elastic member and securely anchoring it to said back member.

3. An article of the character described comprising an elastic member, buttons assembled upon the remote extremities thereof and each button composed of a back having an opening therein receiving the extremity of the elastic member therethrough, a cover secured to said back, and a tongue formed by the metal displaced during the formation of the opening in the back, said tongue lying between the front and back of said button and ofi'set slightly in front of the back and engaging the elastic member and adapted to approach the bottom wall of the opening as the said tongue is forced toward the plane of the back.

4. An article of the class described comprising an elastic member having buttons attached to the remote extremities thereof,

each button being composed of a back havas with the wedge-shaped bottom wall of said opening to securely anchor the protruding extremity of the elastic member in place and to hold the protruding extremity of the elastic member substantially parallel to the back, and a front or cover carried by said back.

5. An article of the class described comprising an elastic member having buttons attached to each extremity thereof, each button comprising a back member having an opening extending therethrough and a tongue made up of the displaced metal from said opening, a front member carried by said back member, the said tongue lying between said front and back members, the extremity of said elastic member extending throng the opening in the back member, said tongue being bent into engagement with the elastic member and anchoring the same in place, and a filler member contained between the front and back members and bearing against said tongue and holding the ame in place.

Signed at West Cheshire, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, this 29th day of November A. D. 1922.

CHARLES ALLEN GODDARD.

Witnesses:

MILTON N. HALL, THERON- S. FRENCH. 

